hand injury disaster! Whilst transporting a terrarium, the glass suddenly exploded into my hand... causing a bucket of blood and 5 stitches at the ER. The accident was suspiciously painless, so hold your concern. This is just a reminder to take caution to dangers that may damage your hands, my fellow artists!

Yikes...Just last year my drawing hand was torn wide open when my dog ( on a leash) pulled my hand into the screen door handle! It was about 2-3 weeks before I could grasp anything with that hand! I hope you didn't have any tendon damage!Just for fun, try to draw with your other hand! It's freaky.

going on almost a month now, I have not been using my right index finger, as I lost the tip of it and it has been healing all this time. In the meantime I have learned to write and type while just sort of leaving the sensitive digit out of the process entirely, it is still as sensitive as a toothache, and the finger has lost its flexibility and twitch muscles.

I havent really drawn in years, but am going to force myself to draw again, and write (comic book style lettering) and type, and build up a callus. Right now I am by habit using the finger about a quarter of the time at best, with conscious effort, it is slower and sensitive, and my habits have grown into my middle finger taking up the slack.

Forcing physical therapy on myself is a weird thing, but is necessary. At leas the finger is still there somewhat; no bone or nail missing just meat. Skin is back, but tight and very thin.

Its amazing how much your arm and other finger compensate, but, it is not necessarily a good thing. handwriting is still very similar, but messier.

Stranger than being in a cast or brace, which I think I have lived through as well.

More artists should have their drawing hands insured. That should be one of the first benefits they get upon joining a union.Once your hand heals, do lots and lots and lots of practice drawings. Think of it as physiotherapy. You should be back up to your own abilities in no time.

In high school I used to work in landscaping...I did a lot of machine and stone work...and id always wear heavy duty gloves to protect my hands.meanwhile all the the other dudes had gnarled hands with mountains of callase. Theyd always make fun of my for protecting my baby smooth artists hands.

in the man time you should learn to draw with your foot...could have some interesting results.

Of the eye/hand/brain troika needed to draw and paint, the hand is least important. The legendary animator Grim Natwick once had his entire arm pulled out of the shoulder socket and went on to animate and draw as good as ever, once it healed. This happened in a car crash in the late 1930's. As long as the eye and brain still work, you can draw or paint with anything holding your utensil of choice.